127 Tasting Notes
1/3 in a Matcha Single Serves package that I bought. This is definitely not the best matcha I’ve tasted! I’ve custom ordered peppermint green tea lattes at Starbucks before, so I know that mint should be able to coexist with matcha in a single drink, but the taste of this packet is just awful. And, yes, Starbucks adds sugar to their lattes, so of course the comparison is not perfect. However, when compared to pure Japanese green tea matcha that I regularly purchase at a Japanese supermarket, this packet falls short too.
Preparation
The mint flavour is very strong in this tea. I couldn’t stomach a hot cup, but I enjoyed this very much as a tea lemonade. I brewed a large amount in my Takeya Flash Chill Iced Tea Maker, poured in an equal amount of Simply Lemonade, added ice cubes, shook vigorously, and served.
Flavors: Mint, Tart
Preparation
This tea was on discount when I walked into Teavana one December, and when the sales associate wafted the smell towards my nose, I was immediately sold. That is to say, I bought the tea, but when I tried it later…I didn’t really like it. I have tried other rooibos teas from DAVIDsTEA, so it’s not that I dislike rooibos on the whole. However, my first impression was that this tea is much too sweet. In order to get through the rest of my tin, I had to mix with other blends that were slightly bitter, to balance the flavours.
Flavors: Sweet, White Chocolate
Preparation
I got this tea as an in-store exchange for Jumpy Monkey (which was gross, by the way) and am much happier as a result. The taste of this rooibos blend is different than the cake-flavoured rooibos that I have tried before – different in a good way! I love caramel – and it’s much less greasy, due to the lack of sprinkles or chocolate chips.
I highly recommend adding the tiniest bit of milk to the cup, and pairing this tea with a scone, same as I eventually did. Delicious!
Flavors: Caramel
Preparation
This has now replaced the Bigelow peppermint tea that my mom used to keep regularly stocked in our cupboard. The ingredients list is minimal, but regardless, the tea’s description made me expect something special. You can just barely taste the hint of vanilla that’s promised, so I’m not sure if that is the ingredient that endears this mix to me or not. At least, if you like peppermint (despite the tone of this review, I do), then you should have no complaints.
Flavors: Peppermint, Vanilla
Preparation
This might be due to the placebo effect, but I have brewed this tea every time I felt a sore throat starting, and not caught a cold once in the last three months. (Normally I am very sickly.) The peppermint taste is very strong, but I expect that from a cold-battling tea. This is my first herbal tea, and my one nitpick is…things are always escaping my infuser and ending up at the bottom of my cup. This might be due to the design of my infuser, but I’ve never had a problem with any of my other teas?
Flavors: Peppermint
Preparation
I’ve heard so much about this tea, but somehow none of my friends thought to mention the raspberry ingredient to me. Raspberries don’t ruin the taste, but I am usually against strong fruity flavours in my cups of tea. I blend with other teas (or with matcha powder) to tone down the sweetness. I don’t necessarily feel a strong boost of energy after drinking this tea, but perhaps due to the placebo effect, I might feel “less” tired.
Flavors: Raspberry
Preparation
All rooibos tea tends to taste similar to me, and the smells are alike too. I’ve compared this blend to Red Velvet Cake in a different tasting note. It’s a nice, sweet tea. The sight of the melting sprinkles isn’t very appealing, and this is the greasiest tea that I’ve ever prepared. However, taste is more important than sight in this case. Surprisingly, I enjoy this tea more once it’s cooled down, rather than extra hot.
Flavors: Cake
Preparation
I should have read the description on the tin better. Although it’s named Chocolate Macaroon, this tea is likened to a coconut macaroon, and I don’t like the flavour of coconut very much. (Coconut milk, on the other hand, is a delightful addition to stove-cooked rice and curries.)
I usually mix this blend with other chocolate-flavoured teas. (Once, I tried mixing it with matcha powder, and that was nice.)
Flavors: Coconut
Preparation
This is not a bad tea. It doesn’t taste very much like actual red velvet cake, but it’s a pleasant black tea to drink on a daily basis. From the aroma alone, I am reminded of Birthday Cake tea. The description is a “sweet, lightly creamy black tea blend”, and I fully agree. The beetroot powder colours the tea red, and is a bit of a pain to wash out of my infuser and cup afterwards, but I have no regrets.
Flavors: Cake